Education could be part of economic pilot zones

By Camaron Kao / Staff reporter

Tue, Jul 30, 2013 - Page 14

The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) yesterday said it is considering including advanced education into its free economic pilot zone plan.

The government may allow colleges and universities that are not subject to domestic laws in terms of setting tuition fees, hiring teachers and professors, and recruiting students, said a council official, who declined to be named.

Many colleges and universities in Taiwan are unable to recruit enough students because of the declining birth rate, he said. Official data showed a rate of 0.00986 last year.

However, the government is more inclined to open advanced education to target foreign students, the official said, adding that the planned institutions are not required to be located in the government’s designated free-trade zones.

The official said it would require the government to set up a special law for the zones before any an educational institution is allowed to be established there.

Under the government’s preliminary proposal for the free economic pilot zones unveiled in March, Taiwan aims to relax regulations and offer tax reductions in the six free-trade zones.

The zones are Suao Port in Yilan County, Keelung Port, Taipei Port in New Taipei City (新北市), Taichung Port in Greater Taichung, Kaohsiung Port in Greater Kaohsiung and the Taoyuan Aerotropolis in Taoyuan County.

The Cabinet is set to propose a special law for the zones by September, before submitting it to the legislature for review.